BHOPAL, July 26: Twenty-odd, Preeti Verma, of Indore finds herself pitted alone against the might of the Madhya Pradesh police in a case where justice has eluded her for more than a year now.

Her father Rajendra Verma, the principal of a higher secondary school, was murdered by four hired killers over a property dispute on the night of June 8, 1996. The needle of suspicion pointed towards the landlord -- a retired police inspector -- and his daughter, sub-inspector Gayatri Bains of the MP Police.

After Verma was brutally knifed in his house in front of his family, Preeti has been running from pillar to post for justice -- from the Prime Minister's Office to the Human Rights Commission to Congress leader Rajesh Pilot. Each one took up her case and directed or requested the MP Government to act, but the State Police, which is getting the case investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), remained uncooperative.

The case was registered by the Tukoganj police under FIR number 294/96 under sections 302, 307 and 102 B in which members of the Bains family were named as prime suspects. But no action on part of the police was forthcoming. On September 8, 1996, then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, on Preeti's request, directed the Union Home Ministry to take suitable action, who in turn directed the State police to do the same but that's where the matter ended.

Home Minister Charan Das Mahant on being asked about the case said he would again direct his department to act. While the department sleeps over various directives and requests, Preeti's long wait for justice continues.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.